Recover
by thinking hurts my brain
Summary: AU. Annabeth Chase saves a random stranger on the street. Percy Jackson is confused. Luke Castellan struggles, Nico di Angelo contemplates life and death, and family, friends, and lovers are torn apart.
1. Annabeth: Just a Normal Day

**A/N: I wrote this awhile ago. I have the next couple chapters written, but I doubt that I'll continue after that... But, on the other hand, maybe i'll get back into it. Who knows?**

**I don't own PJO, and some of the ideas I'm using belong to Cassie's Neighbor. Thanks!**

**R&R!**

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_Clack-click-click-clack_

The sound of fingers making gentle tapping noises on a laptop as they furiously type an entry. She hummed a song absentmindedly, trying to take her mind off the time.

_Five minutes..._

She finished the document and saved it, glancing at the clock as the screen loaded.

_Four minutes..._

Her humming grew more urgent as the clock took it's sweet time ticking.

_Three minutes..._

She chewed her lip, wondering if she should start pack up her things.

_Two minutes..._

_No__, she decided. Another few seconds won't matter. She stared at the clock, watching the slender hands slowly revolve around the circumference of the small machine._

_One minute..._

_Come on, come on!_

_Clang-a-lang-a-lang!_

Saved by the bell. How cliche. She forced herself to wait for the other kids to leave, then followed behind the horde of immature high schoolers._What a day, _she thought to herself.

**ANNABETH:**

_My Name is Annabeth Chase. I am 17 years old, and I am in my senior year of college. I plan on graduating class valedictorian. My best friend's name is Thalia Grace, but if you call her by her last name she'll punch your lights out. Trust me, I'm talking from personal experience here. She's a year older than me, and going to college in Arizona for electrical engineering._

_Thalia's boyfriend's name is Nico. He's quiet and resigned, but if you piss him off, he will start throwing things. He's in my grade, and I end up hanging out with him a lot, just as friends._

_I have a boyfriend named Luke Castellan. He's a great guy, but he has a temper problem, and he has a knack for stealing things. Just watch your wallet if you ever sit by him. He's looking to design a better security system to keep out burglars. Kind of Ironic, right?_

_My Dad's name is Frederick. I suppose he's an okay dad, but he would rather focus on his job, his wife, and his kids. See, my mom walked out on us right after I was born, so Dad had the honors of raising me alone. He fell in love with another woman and soon they were married and had two kids. So, I'm kind of the odd one out. Not that I mind, of course. My friends keep me company enough, and I can focus on my studies better without attentive parents badgering me to get out more._

I finished my first diary entry and closed my laptop. The bell rang and I let everyone else file out before I followed them.

"Annabeth? Could I speak to you for a moment?" I heard my English teacher, Mr. Blofis say behind me. _What now? _I think. I turned back towards his desk, and walked over.

"Yes, Mr. Blofis?" I asked, trying not to sound impatient.

"Annabeth, I see that you only scored a 98% on your last test. I wanted to say that you really should keep up with your studies." He smiled as he said this, and I knew he was just being silly. I grinned wryly back at him. "I'm just teasing. I pulled you over to tell you to keep up the fantastic work. With your extra credit, It bumped up the grade on your test to 100%. Now, I want you to go home, have a relaxed weekend, and don't forget to say 'Hi' to Nico for me!" He gave me a jaunty wave as I exited the room. Mr. Blofis always seems to know when I need a little cheering up. It always works too.

_What a day_, I thought to myself. I trudged to my locker, getting pulled every which way by teenagers itching to get out of this prison.

"Hey, sweetheart!" I turned to see Luke strolling up to me. He pulled me into a quick kiss, and I smiled against his lips. I turned back to my locker and opened it, revealing a small, pristine space. "How do you keep your locker that clean?" he asked.

"I dunno, I guess I'm just organized," I answered. I grabbed my things and kissed him goodbye. We both walk home, but in separate directions.

I turned a corner and literally ran into Nico. "Shit, Nico I'm so sorry," I said as I bend to pick up his things.

"Nah, it's fine. Say, what are you doing this weekend? I was wondering if maybe we could study together?" We finished picking up his dropped items and I handed them to him. He smiled gratefully.

"You mean, me helping you study?" He blushed.

"Yeah, Blowfish says that if I don't study I'm going to fail, and I can't afford to."

I grinned at him. "How's tomorrow around 2:00 sound?"

"Perfect. Thanks, Annabeth!" He turned the other way and ran towards the back doors of the school. I shook my head gently then continued my trek through the jungle some people call 'high school'.

As I walked through the front door, it began to rain. _Just my luck..._ I pulled my hoodie over my head and picked up a steady jogging pace, my course set for my Dad's apartment. I swerved through alleyways and streets, across crosswalks and through traffic. By now, it was pouring rain so hard that I could barely see five feet front of me.

I was almost home to my parent's apartment when I reached a stoplight. I couldn't see what color it was, and I don't think anyone else could either. A tall guy pushed past me and walked across the street.

"Watch it!" I yelled after him.

People say that sometimes tragedies happen in slow motion, but this one didn't. I remembered seeing the lemon yellow taxi speed towards the him, and I knew it wasn't going to stop. I pushed to the front of the small crowd by the crosswalk, and sprinted into the street.

I collided with the stranger, sending him careening to the other side of the road. I breathed deeply, relieved that he was okay, whomever he was. I turned to look at the taxi, but it hadn't stopped. It was still speeding towards me, and I could hear brakes squealing against the wet pavement and muffled yells. The stranger looked back at me and shouted something. I caught a glimpse of sea-green eyes and dark hair under his hood.

Impact.

Pain.

I saw flashes of dark red droplets and lemon yellow. I felt like I had been steamrollered then blown up by a balloon-pump. I felt like I had been set on fire then dumped in ice water.

In summary, it was hell.

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**Well, that was cheery. If I get good reviews, I'll post the next couple chapters. -Cue evil laughter-**

** I'm bribing you, reader. R&R!**


	2. Annabeth: Saved by a Stranger

**A/N: Sorry this is short. **

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ANNABETH:

I was flat on my back in the street, and rain dripped in my eyes. I thought laying in this warm, dark, _red_ puddle was kind of nice, except for the blinding pain. I heard screams and shouts, the squealing of brakes. One particular shout caught my attention. It was a guy. His voice sounded like the sea, if that made any sense. Like waves breaking on rocks, or just the gentle trickle of a water flowing out of a tide pool.

"Somebody call 911!" the voice shouted. A guy kneeled over me. It was the same guy I had saved, sea-green eyes and inky hair, kind of like Thalia's. I reached up, although needles and swords were cutting me at the motion. He caught my hand.

"Saved..." I whispered.

"Shh, don't try to talk."

"I... saved... you?"

I saw some emotion glint in his eyes, but it disappeared just as quick as it came. He rested my hand back down across my stomach. "Yeah. Yeah, you saved me. I suppose I should thank you for that." I smiled at him and coughed a little bit. I could feel warm liquid dribble out of the side of my mouth. I hear sirens in the distance.

"No problem," I rasp. He laughed, and I thought I saw water in his eye, but it was probably just the rain.

"Right. Now, due to my stupidity, you're half-dead in the middle of the street." I would have laughed if I could, but it hurt too much.

"It... it was worth it." He stared at me wide-eyed, a faint pink staining his cheeks. I blacked out after that.

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**Yaaayyy more cheeriness. I know I'm not very good at writing scenes like this, but I figure Annabeth would be in shock or something and start babbling. Don't quote me though.**

**Thanks y'all!**

**Oh, Gods. I need help. Pretty soon I'm going to start using words like pert'neer and yonder.**

**Anyhoo, R&R!**


	3. Percy: What the Hell Just Happened?

**A/N: Yo. I tried to make Percy less uptight than Annabeth, if that makes any sense... Sorry it's short. Sorry about some mistakes in the last chapter, there were some present tense when it was supposed to be past. **

**I don't own PJO. R&R, and enjoy!**

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**PERCY:**

Damn it, I was late again. If Mom found out that I was in detention again, she would skin me alive. I reached a crosswalk, and hurried past a girl in a hoodie. I catch a flash of golden hair under her hood as she glared daggers at me. Right now though, I didn't care if she was pissed at me. Most girls usually are.

"Watch it!" she said. I ignored her and continued across the road. I heard squealing brakes and something warm ran into me, sending me flailing to the opposite sidewalk. I looked back at who pushed me, an insult ready on my tongue, but I never get the chance to yell my extremely witty remark.

She stood there in the middle of the road, the same girl that yelled at me. I look into stormy grey eyes, and I saw fear in it's most basic state. She glanced at the taxi that was on a collision course with her body.

"MOVE!" I yelled at her. She seemed to be frozen there, and she opened her mouth to scream. I watched in slow motion as the taxi collided with her body, which at the moment, seemed all too fragile. She was thrown about a yard onto the soaking pavement. The taxi stopped, and I saw her lying on her back in the street, bleeding. Her glassy eyes stared up at the crying sky.

I heard delayed screams from passerby, and I yelled at someone to call 911. I rushed to her side and leaned over her. She smiled faintly and reached her hand up to my face. I caught it, not knowing what she was doing. Let's just say that I'm not all that comfortable with stranger girls touching me, even if they are really hot and just saved my sorry ass.

"Saved..." she whispered.

"Shh," I told her. "don't try to talk." _Oh, gods, this girl just saved my life._

"I... saved... you?" she asked. _No, you just pushed me out of the way because you like getting run over by taxi cabs._ I didn't say anything though, because it might seem a little insensitive. I put her hand back down on her stomach, uncomfortable with holding her wrist for so long.

"Yeah. Yeah, you saved me. I suppose I should thank you for that." She grinned at me, teeth stained with her blood. The latter oozes out of the side of her mouth, and I heard the sirens coming closer.

"No problem," she said sarcastically. I laughed, letting my shock come out as nervous chuckles instead of crying to show how utterly grateful I was. I don't think that would be a very good first impression, not to mention it wouldn't be manly.

"Right. Now, due to my stupidity, you're half-dead in the middle of the street." I watched, entranced by her eyes as she gazed at me.

"It... it was worth it," she said. I felt my eyes widen and my cheeks heat up. Her grey eyes fluttered shut, leaving me alone to explain why there was a girl bleeding to death in the middle of the street.

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**I'm just generally cheery, aren't I?**

**That is all.**


	4. Annabeth: Doctor Asshole

**A/N: Sup people. Just finished editing this chapter. Thanks for the reviews, and I hope that you all know by now that I am not Rick Riordan, therefore have no claim to the PJO books or characters.**

**R&R!**

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**ANNABETH:**

_Beep. Beep. Beep..._

I drifted into consciousness, rudely awoken by my own heartbeat. I tried to open my eyes, but they seemed to be duct taped shut. _That's weird,_ I thought. I tried to move my fingers. Nothing. My face? Nope. I sat there for a few moment's wondering what was wrong with me.

"Hello, Annabeth," I heard a male voice say. It might of just been me, but he sounded _hot._ I struggled to open my eyes to see if he was attractive as he sounded, but I couldn't find the strength to. "My name is Dr. Apollo. I heard you had a little accident, didn't you?" I mentally rolled my eyes. "Oooh, I also heard that you pushed someone out of the way and got hit by the taxi instead. Is he your boyfriend?" _Boyfriend? I don't even know who the hell he is!_ "Oh, right. You can hear me, but not answer. I suppose you could say that it's a side affect of being in a coma." _Either this guy is really insane, or really stupid._

_Beep beep beep!_

"Woah, woah, calm down. No need to throw a fit." I heard a pen scratching on paper, and Dr. Apollo mumbled something under his breath. "Seems to be good-hearted, but temperamental." I mentally narrowed my eyes.

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"Seriously, Annabeth. Calm down. Just because you can't see my incredible good looks doesn't mean that you have to have a temper tantrum over it." _Great,_ I thought. _Immature and cocky. I guess I'll be staying here a while._

I hear clicking of heels and a door opening. "Ah, Nurse Jackson, There you are. Could you take some stats for me?" Dr. Apollo left the room with squeaky shoes.

More clicking of heels. "I'm so sorry I left you alone with him. He can be quite a child sometimes, can't he?" A woman. She sounded nice, and she seemed like a decent person. "I suppose you can't tell me what happened, can you?"_ Nope._

Just then, an announcement came on over the loudspeaker. _"Nurse Sally Jackson, please call the front desk, Nurse Sally Jackson, please call the front desk."_

_Click, beep, click, beep, click._

Her heels moved in sync with my heart monitor. Weird. I heard what sounded like a phone and the clacking of keys.

"Hello? Yes, this is her. Oh. Oh, my goodness! Yes, I'll be right there!"

_Beep! Beep! Beep!_

"I'm sorry, Annabeth. My son is in the lobby and they said he was just in an accident. No, he wasn't hurt. I'll tell you all the details later!" The clicking of heels faded and I was left alone.

Consider being in a coma being dead, but you can hear everything around you.

So, when you're stuck with your own mind for entertainment, and nothing but the back of your eyelids to look at, you're alone, and you're afraid. Or, at least I know I was.

"Annabeth!" That's my dad. "Oh, baby, I came as fast as I could. I know you can hear me, even if you can't wake up."

_Beep. Beep. Beep._

I heard him sit down in the chair. "They're going to do everything in their power to make you better, Annabeth. Remember that you're not alone. Don't be afraid. We're here for you." _Oh, Dad. If only you knew how stupid you sound right now. I'm alone. And frightened. I would open my eyes if I could, but I can't seem to find the strength._

I tried to open my eyes again, just to check. Nothing.

I heard squeaky shoes. Dr. Apollo. He briefed my father about my condition, and ushered him out. Visiting hours were over.

I heard some wild screaming, and I wondered what in hell was going on outside. The sound reminded me of that one episode of Spongebob Squarepants where he, Patrick, and Squidward all get stuck out in the kelp forest, and Spongebob and Patrick are worshiping the Magic Conch Shell. Where they do that weird thing with their tongues while screaming their heads off.

_Click, squeal, beep. Click, squeal, beep._

That would be Nurse Jackson's shoes and someone new. This squeak was different from Dr. Apollo's shoes. Odd, I thought visiting hours were over.

"Hello, Annabeth. It's Nurse Jackson. Feel free to call me Sally. This is my son, Percy. Percy, this is my newest patient. Say hello. You know she can hear you."

"Ah, um. H-hi, Annabeth. I'm Percy, like my mom said." _I know that voice..._ "Mom, that's the girl. The one who pushed me out of the way!" he whispered.

"What?" Sally whispered back. "Are you sure? This was the girl that did that?"

"That's her. I would know her face anywhere. It's not exactly easy to forget someone who saved your life." _Percy... so that's what his name was._

_Squeal, beep. Squeal, beep. Squeal, beep._

He came closer. "Uh, hey." _Yo, _I responded in my head. "I... I don't know what I can do to show you how grateful I am. I can't thank you enough. I hope you get better soon."

The squealing and clicking footsteps retreated, and I heard a door gently click shut.

I was alone again.

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**Don't worry you guys, Percy's chapter is funnier than Annabeth's. At least I think it is...**

**R&R!**


	5. Percy: Surprise!

**A/N: Yo, I don't have the next chapter written yet, so it could be awhile. I don't own PJO.**

**R&R!**

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**PERCY:**

I jogged up to the hospital, and stepped out of the pouring rain. I shook my head, resembling a dog. I blinked in the florescent lighting, and calmly walked over to the secretary's desk, my head still spinning from what had just happened.

The young woman sat at the desk. Her hair was frizzy and red, and she had paint stains on her uniform.

"Hey, Rachel," I said to one of my best friends.

"Yo, Percy."

"So now you're doing secretary work? What'll it be next? A janitor? A waitress? Or maybe a fortune teller?" Rachel could never seem to keep a steady job, and I was determined to have her keep one. She said she hadn't found the right path for her yet or some spiritual mumbo jumbo that I didn't really get.

"Percy-"

"Yes, I know, I know, you're happy the way you are."

"Good, you understand... So what was it you needed?" she asked.

"Did anyone just come in right now?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean are there any new patients that just got here?"

"I don't know. I could check?"

"No thanks. Um, could you call my mom down here? I was just in an accident and I need to talk to her."

"Sure thing. You can take a seat if you'd like." That's what I love about Rachel. She doesn't worry about me like my parents and my other friends do. If I say I've been in an accident she just shrugs her shoulders, seeing that I can move and talk, so I must be fine.

"Thanks."

I sat down in a hard plastic chair and let my mind wander.

_They really should make these chairs more comfortable_, the ADHD part of my mind said. _I mean seriously! If there are people waiting in the lobby for hours, they could at least get some comfy chairs, and maybe an actual coffee machine..._

The other more focused part of my brain (yes, I know it's hard to believe that I actually have one), thought about what had just happened to me. _That girl... she saved me._

_Oh, come on! She told you that already, you idiot!_

_So what? I'm in shock, okay?_

Oh, Gods. Now I was arguing with myself. It was bad enough that I had to argue with almost everyone else, now I had actually picked a fight with my own mind.

_I went through the same thing you did, dumb ass!_

_So does that mean you're pig headed even when you're in shock too?_

_You're calling yourself pig headed, you idiot!_

_Am not!_

_Are too!_

_Am not!_

_Are-_

"SHUT UP!" I yelled. Everyone in the lobby stopped what they were doing and gawked at me. I rolled my eyes and sighed angrily, standing up and stalking off. In other words, I was acting like a normal troubled teenager.

_Fine, if Mom's not coming to me, I'll go to her._

I sprinted up the steps of the hospital, avoiding the elevator. Confined spaces freak me out, they always have. I literally ran into a man going the opposite way. He stood his ground, and I fell on my butt. Very manly.

The guy in front of me was tall, and he had wild blonde hair. He was hunched over a little, was it grief? He had a visitor's sticker on his shirt. Apparently, his name was Frederick. He had this crazed look in his eye. I was just thinking that maybe he shouldn't be in this kind of hospital when I heard my mom call me from the top of the steps.

"Sorry, Sir. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"It's quite all right, my boy. I think I hear someone calling for you." He held out his hand, and I didn't hesitate to take it. I stood up jogged up the steps at a slower pace. I gave him a jaunty wave, and the corners of his mouth twitched, but he didn't smile.

"Percy? I know you're coming up the stairs! You're too impatient to stay in the lobby!"

"I'm coming, Mom!" I reached floor three, not out of breath in the least. She ran into me headlong.

"Oh, Gods Percy are you okay? What happened? Tell me everything!" She took my face in her hands, examining for cuts or bruises. I gently pushed her hands away, secretly glad for the attention.

"Mom, I'm fine. My hands and knees got a little scraped up, and I'm kind of wet, but that's it."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"So what happened?" she asked me. I sidestepped a nurse and a doctor bustling past.

"I was in an accident."

"Rachel told me," she said with a pained look on her face.

"Mhmm. I was walking across the street, and a girl pushed me out of the way. A taxi hit her, and the ambulances came after that."

"Percy, are you sure you're alright? You look a little pale." She gently pushed some of my wild hair from my face and her expression morphed into worry.

"I... she saved my life, Mom. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repay her, much less see her again." My Mom soothingly rubbed my cheek, and I felt my face scrunch up against my will. I hated people seeing me weak. "I never realized how much I want to live until I had a near-death experience."

"Percy, you're all grown up. You're finally acting mature."

"Who are you calling mature?" I asked. Then, just to lighten the mood, I threw my hands above my head and clicked my tongue up and down in my mouth so I made a 'Blolalolalolalolalolalolalo!' sound.

Mom threw her head back and laughed.

"Is that the mating call of the idiots I hear?" I heard a male voice say. I stopped my screaming, looked around, and spotted Dr. Apollo.

"Hey, Doc."

"Hi, Percy. I heard you had a little accident."

"You make it sound like it was in my pants, Doc."

"Well, I don't know what goes on down there, and I have no desire to. For all I know, it could be." I scowled at him. "Anyway, there's someone I think you would like to meet. Sally, you know who I'm talking about." Mom nodded, then walked down the hall, me close behind. She opened the door, and I walked through, expecting just another guy my mom wanted me to be friends with.

Boy, was I wrong.

I think my heart actually stopped when I saw her. She had golden hair, and it was curled in gentle waves. She was pale, and covered in stitches. The doctors must have fixed her up very quickly. Her right arm and leg were both broken and in casts. She was sleeping, but I knew behind the lids were intense grey eyes.

"Hello, Annabeth. It's Nurse Jackson. Feel free to call me Sally. This is my son, Percy. Percy, this is my newest patient. Say hello. You know she can hear you."

"Ah, um. H-hi, Annabeth. I'm Percy, like my mom said," I said stupidly, not knowing what to do. "Mom, that's the girl. The one who pushed me out of the way!" I whispered to her.

"What?" Mom whispered back. "Are you sure? This was the girl that did that?"

"That's her. I would know her face anywhere. It's not exactly easy to forget someone who saved your life," I said. I paused for a moment, listening to her heart monitor. Then, I walked up to her, not knowing what I was doing.

"Uh, hey," I said lamely. "I..." _What do I say? Thanks? How can you thank someone enough? There isn't anything you can say to repay that kind of debt._ "I don't know what I can do to show you how grateful I am. I can't thank you enough. I hope you get better soon," I said, not knowing what else I could do. I walked out quickly, the awkward silence killed only by the squeaking of my shoes and the beeping of her heart monitor.

_Annabeth... so that's what her name is._

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**I can imagine Percy being immature and screaming like that. I hope I explained it well enough. I can just picture it in my mind. XD.**

**Anyway, Thanks to everyone that has read this!**

**R&R!**


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